Interrail Passes

[anti-pacer]

Has anyone ever done of these? They seem very cheap compared to ALR's here. For example a 30-day continuous First Class pass cisrs £48 more than a week's equivalent for the UK only.

What's the catch, apart from not being able to use it here?

 

[33056]

Has anyone ever done of these?

Yes, loads

What's the catch, apart from not being able to use it here?

There is no catch as such but you might find them of lesser use in some countries where reservation / booking fees are required for some long distance trains such as Spain or France; if you use a lot of these trains or overnight trains the extra fees can quickly mount up unless you plan carefully.

Another thing to be aware of is that some countries don't have a lot of 1st class on some trains or none at all so a first class pass would be a waste of money if you are spending a lot of time bumbling around on local trains in those locations.

Depending on what countries you wish to visit it might be cheaper to use an alternative such as the European East Pass or Benelux Pass . Some good information and tips can be found on the excellent Seat 61 site and also check the Interrail site for information on validity and other useful information.

 

[eastwestdivide]

No particular catch, other than what 33056 says about supplements and fees.
Do your planning, and compare the budget for sticking to a plan with advance purchases versus the flexibility of an Interrail or other pass.
I've used the X days in Y versions of the Interrail a fair bit, as I prefer not to be "on the move" every single day.

 

[Techniquest]

I did the Benelux pass a few years ago, and I loved my InterRail experience. I said back then I'd happily do another one but have failed to do so yet. I forget the exact ching right now, but I believe in 2013 a 3 day one cost £109. For 3 different countries and no time restrictions, just incredible!

My trip report, which I'm about to re-read, is here:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=81149

My first Brussels visit in 2013 trip report too, for what it's worth:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=81221

 

[Ianno87]

I did a Global Pass in 2008, and a Germany-only pass in 2012. More recent trips have made more use of Point-to-Point 'advance'-type tickets, which can be very cheap indeed (especially travelling in Eastern Europe).

Definitely plan out what you want to do, and what works out best value for you. If it is 'gricing' trip using a continuous (as opposed to flexi) pass, don't forget to build in 'days off' to have a break from the trains and actually see some of Europe along the way.

Other thing to bear in mind is that available seat reservations (on services where these are mandatory) for interrrail passholders can sometimes be limited or non-existent - this was only the case once on my 2008 trip and an alternative route was posdible, but it can happen, so try and book these legs as early as practical.

And if you like window seats etc, it is often worth paying the small reservation fee where this is not necessary, especially on summer long distance trains.

And try and encourage a friend or two to join you, even if only for part of the trip. The memories will stay with you!

 

[anti-pacer]

I did the Benelux pass a few years ago, and I loved my InterRail experience. I said back then I'd happily do another one but have failed to do so yet. I forget the exact ching right now, but I believe in 2013 a 3 day one cost £109. For 3 different countries and no time restrictions, just incredible!

My trip report, which I'm about to re-read, is here:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=81149

My first Brussels visit in 2013 trip report too, for what it's worth:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=81221

Great read there. Thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I don't know where half of these places are. I know the Netherlands, and where the main cities in Belgium are, what some of the places you went to I've never heard of.

Can I ask though, why Glossop for an overnight stay? Were other Yravelodges full?

 

[Techniquest]

Great read there. Thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I don't know where half of these places are. I know the Netherlands, and where the main cities in Belgium are, what some of the places you went to I've never heard of.

Can I ask though, why Glossop for an overnight stay? Were other Yravelodges full?

Glad you enjoyed the read, some of those reports I read with a slightly soppy tune (as soppy as happy hardcore gets anyway...) which made it just that much more nostalgic for me.

A lot of the places I visited on my Benelux trip most people will have never heard of, and let's be honest without a railway network map it's very difficult to place where they are. I have my Schweers & Wall EU rail atlas so for me it's fine, but I do need a European atlas that's 100% in English as my German is absolutely awful!

Glossop Travelodge, the story is quite lengthy all in, but I needed somewhere near Manchester to stay fairly late notice, within easy access of the railway. Glossop came up as an option whilst shopping around on the Travelodge website (bear in mind back then, I was a Travelodge loyalist. Dark days when I look back...) and the price was incredible. The location was excellent too, and it wasn't going to cost me the Earth to get there. Job done! Why was I up that north when I was going to work the next day? Short version of the story is that I messed up my Eurostar booking from Brussels and Ryanair had come to my rescue!

 

[anti-pacer]

Glad you enjoyed the read, some of those reports I read with a slightly soppy tune (as soppy as happy hardcore gets anyway...) which made it just that much more nostalgic for me.

A lot of the places I visited on my Benelux trip most people will have never heard of, and let's be honest without a railway network map it's very difficult to place where they are. I have my Schweers & Wall EU rail atlas so for me it's fine, but I do need a European atlas that's 100% in English as my German is absolutely awful!

Glossop Travelodge, the story is quite lengthy all in, but I needed somewhere near Manchester to stay fairly late notice, within easy access of the railway. Glossop came up as an option whilst shopping around on the Travelodge website (bear in mind back then, I was a Travelodge loyalist. Dark days when I look back...) and the price was incredible. The location was excellent too, and it wasn't going to cost me the Earth to get there. Job done! Why was I up that north when I was going to work the next day? Short version of the story is that I messed up my Eurostar booking from Brussels and Ryanair had come to my rescue!

I too am a bit of a Travelodge fan. During my ALR trip I stayed at both Holyhead and Swansea city centre locations, then a month later on a 3 day trip to London, the one in Bethnal Green. I can't fault them. OK the breakfast isn't exactly haute cuisine, but for the price you pay, faultless.

Did you get to work the next day by the way?

 

[Techniquest]

I must have done, I don't remember to be honest!

I'm not a Travelodge fan anymore, you're welcome to them!

 

[Greenback]

I've done Interrail trips in Switzerland, Benelux and a European trip, though that was way back in the dim and distant past!

They were all very enjoyable, These days I reckon the key to it is going to countries where they don;t have a load of compulsory reservation fees or supplements, and a comprehensive rail network as well. That's why I've done Benelux and Switzerland!